Many commercial and industrial activities require the use of reels upon which are coiled various lengths, frequently infinite in nature, of many different types of material such as wire, strips of many different types of material in various widths and thicknesses, lengths of connected semi or completely manufactured items such as electrical contacts, electrical terminals and the like. Belting, chain and many other types of products similarly are coiled upon appropriate reels. In many instances, reels are expendable but nevertheless add to the cost of the product carried thereby. Particularly when reels are such size and composition that the cost thereof represents a reasonably substantial expense, such as of the order of one dollar or more, it becomes economical to return empty reels to the supplier for re-use.
Reels of the type referred to which are susceptible to re-use frequently are of a size from about eight or ten inches in diameter and the hubs thereof are at least four or five inches in length and made from suitable material such as synthetic resins or plastics, metal, or otherwise. It is quite common at present for reels of such size and especially larger reels to be of a very bulky nature when packed for shipment to the supplier for re-use and under such circumstances, it is possible for the shipping cost to be such as to deter such re-use, whereby the reels become a waste. Accordingly, it has become expedient in efforts to economize in the cost of coiled products to effect suitable re-use of reels ranging from the sizes referred to above, up to reels of much larger size by making the reels collapsible so that the flanges thereof are separable from the hub and the separated components of the reel may be compactly packed with components of other reels, whereby a plurality of collapsed or separated reel components may be packed compactly either in appropriate containers or by suitable wrappings for less expensive transportation to return the collapsed reels to the supplier for re-use.
Relatively large reels, such as the type employed for the coiling of electrical conduits and cable thereon have often been made of wood heretofore and the heavy wooden flanges are connected to equally heavy wooden hubs by means of a plurality of bolts extending through the flanges and the hub to securely affix the hub and flanges together. Appropriate means must be used however to effect suitable alignment of the hub with the flanges and, when the same are separated in an attempt to compactly arrange the same in a package, quite a number of components have to be accounted for. In addition, substantial manual effort is required to both assemble as well as disassemble such reels incident respectively to preparing the same for re-use or for shipment back to the supplier. The present cost of wood has also greatly discouraged the manufacture and use of heavy wooden reels. Accordingly, the heavy duty reels such as of a type on which electric cable and the like is coiled at present now are manufactured from an appropriate metal such as steel and, further, for purposes of minimizing the weight, certain types of these reels are manufactured from lighter material such as magnesium, aluminum, and otherwise. However, effecting the fabrication of the flanges to the hubs of such reels frequently is of a permanent nature so that the reels cannot be disassembled or collapsed. However, under circumstances where disassembly is possible, extensive bolts and tie-rod means are employed which require appreciable manual operation and manipulation to effect both assembly and disassembly of this type of reel.
One example of collapsible, so-called heavy-duty reel which if formed from magnesium, comprises the subject matter of U.S. Pat. No. 2,585,159, to Morley, dated Feb. 12, 1952. However, said reel employs connecting means between the flanges and hub which is relatively complex and present substantial manufacturing expense due to the intricate nature of certain interfitting parts, not only in conjunction with the means to connect the hub to the flanges but also said reel is provided with cover means extending circumferentially around the entire outer portion of the reel, when filled, presumably also for adding to the strength of the flanges to withstand any distortion imposed upon the same during shipment in view of the substantial weight of the material coiled upon the reel.
The present applicant also recently obtained U.S. Pat. No. 3,822,841, dated July 9, 1974, upon a collapsible reel structure which is very well adapted to be used for the coiling of material thereon where the diameter of the flanges is of the order of not appreciably more than ten or twelve inches and the length thereof is of the order of not substantially more than six or eight inches. It is preferred that said reel be manufactured from synthetic resin and a particular type of means by which the hub members are connected to the flanges is of such nature that it is not readily adaptable to reels of a heavy duty nature and partically of a size apprecialby larger than the dimensions referred to above. Accordingly, for purposes of providing a so-called heavy duty reel which is collapsible and may be capable of containing much heavier loads than those capable of being coiled upon his patented type of reel, the present invention has been developed for purposes of supporting loads, for example, of the range of one thousand pounds or more and in regard to which the diameter of the flanges may be up to substantially thirty six inches and the hub is of the order of up to approximately twenty four inches or more. Details and characteristics of the heavy-duty type of reel comprising the subject matter of this application are set forth hereinafter.